UK needs to be stronger in Europe - NSA

The association said if the UK Government tried to influence industry organisations earlier and worked closer with them in the process, there could be a much greater chance of being able to change the nature and negative effects of regulation once it was finally agreed.

NSA chief executive Peter Morris said there was also a strong feeling within the association that the way in which regulation was implemented within all parts of the UK ‘often lacked consistency as well as imagination and pragmatism’.

He added: “The sheep sector is horribly burdened by disproportionate regulation in many areas, which has a serious impact on the ability of the UK sheep industry to be competitive.

“The examples are easy to find – EID and the need to record the individual identities of sheep as they move, the inability to dispose of fallen stock on farm, the requirement to split carcases over 12 months of age, various continual tightening of regulation in relation to the use of medicines – the list goes on and on.

“What is so soul destroying for the sheep farmer is that these regulations all bring with them endless extra paperwork and they are applied in a way that takes a one size fits all approach as opposed to adopting the more refined principles of risk management and thinking about the desired outcome as opposed to becoming obsessed by the process.”

He said after the General Election the NSA would seek meetings with Ministers in all parts of UK to try and persuade them of the need to adopt a different approach towards the regulatory process.

“This must not only apply to future regulation but must also encompass existing regulation which should be changed or dropped where it is no longer needed or is disproportionate to the risk involved.”

Have your say

Please do not complete the following form field for security reasons.

Name

E-mail

Comment

Post as

Anonymously

Display name